Drink mixer



July l2, 1938. G, BRlGGs 2,123,496

DRINK MIXER Original Filed July 2, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT OR.

@Junge July 12, 41938. G. l.. BRIGGS DRINK MIXER 2 sheets-sheet 2Patented July 12, 1938 Auisu'rel) STATES DRINK IVIIXER George L. Briggs,Oneida, N. Y.

- Reile for application Serial No. 29,453, Julyy 2,

1935. This application December 15, 1 937, Se-

rial No. 179,943

11 Claims. l (Cl. 259-108) This application isa refile for myl abandonedapplication, Serial No; 29,453, filed July 2, 1935. 'Ihis inventionrelates to improvements in drink-mixers, and particularly those of theelec-` 5 tric motor-driven type.

' The object ofthe invention is` to provide a simple, durable devicelwhich can be more easily kept clean and in a proper sanitary conditionthan those heretofore known, not only so far as y' the mixer itself isconcerned, but also so far as concerns its immediate environment.

A further object-is to provide such a mixer which will be particularlysuitable for concoctions containing ice cream because it can `beoperated at agreater speed than mixers heretofore known while at thesame time avoiding splashing or vthrowing ofthe contents of the mixingreceptacle out of the receptacle.

With these general objects in view, an apparatus embodying theinvention, broadly considered, comprises an overhead electric motorarranged to drive a depending` agitator and a receptacle arranged toenclose the agitator and to be detachably connected to the motorcasing,-

which in the best embodiment of the invention has a depending skirt, thedetachable connecting meansbeing of a sanitary type, that is to say, ofsuch a form that it may be cleaned readily and certainly. Thereceptacle, in conjunction with the skirt of the motor, completelyencloses the agitator, so that none of the contents of the receptaclecan be .thrown out of the receptacle by centrifugal force, no matter howrapidly the agitator is operated. 35 A further important feature of theinvention is that the receptacle may be attached to the skirt of themotor without setting the motor in operation, so that when the apparatusis not in operation, the receptacle may bevput inplace on 40 the skirtandv thus may serve to protect the agitator against dust orinsects,.and, furthermore, the interior of the receptacle itself is alsosubstantially `closedand protected.

A still further feature of the invention'con- Figure` 3 is a sectionalView taken on the line ment of the invention the further movement is amanually produced rotary movement of the receptacle. v

The best embodiment vof the invention will now be more particularlydescribed in connection with 5 the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of a drink-mixer usinga pedestal mounting; showing the receptacle in a locked and operatingposition;

I 1o Figure 2 is a plan view of one type of beater,

ntaken on the line 2-2 ofl Figure 1, which may be used with the agitatorof the kind frequently employed;

l5 3 3 vof Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, showingthe receptacle in locked and operating position;

Figure 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a modificationshowing a drink-mixer having a bracket mounting and an agitator of thepres-V sure type, with the receptacle completely enclosing the vagitatorand in. an'inoperative position;

Figure 6 is an lenlarged view of the switch means in operating position;

Figure 7 is an enlarged View of the switch means in an inoperativeposition;

Figure 8 is a sectional view, taken on line 8--8 of Figure, showingmeansfor holding the re- 30 ceptacle in position around the agitatorwhen it is not in operation;

Figure 9, is a vertical fragmental view, partly in section, showing thelower motor bearing with a spring cushioning means.

yFigure 10 is a developed plan View of the spring cushioning means.

Figure 11 isan enlarged elevational view, partly broken away, of anagitator of the pressure type shown in Figure 5, and Figure 12 is asectional view taken on the linel I2-I2 of Figure l1.

. Referring to the drawings, I0 is a 'motor casing, enclosing anelectric motor of any usual type, having its lower portion, indicated atII, so formed as to receive in closed relation a receptacle I2, inlocked or unlocked position, so that the receptacle completely enclosesan agitator shaft I3, upon which is mounted a beater I4, as by athreaded stud or machine screw` I5. t When the receptacle I2 has beenmanually rotated in either direction about the agitator shaft I3 whilein closed relation with the skirt II of the motor casing, the receptacleI2 is locked with the skirt IIv` and then comes into engagement with andactuates aswitching means,

- which will be more fully described hereinafter,

The beater I4, shown in Figure 2, may be l pierced and blanked out inthe usual well known manner, having a central aperture I6 for receivingthe stud I5, web portions I1 extending from an inner ring I3, said websconnectingl with an outer ring I3, and said outer ring having, whenviewed edgewise. an undulatory out- -line, the undulations being oi?even number,

greater than two, connected to the inner ring Il by the said webportions I1, eachA of which',

in the best embodiment of the invention, has a -width equal to one-thirdthe peripheral length of one complete undulation. The number of webportions should equal one-halt the number of complete undulations andsaid undulations are to be so formed that the leading edges 20 of eachweb I1 is in juxtaposition with the positive node 26a of its respectiveundulation. It will be obvious from the above description that a beaterof this construction will have an upward thrust upon the shaft and causea downward washv in the contents through which it rotates. While thisform of beater may be employed with an ordinary receptacle with a plainbottom, to utilize this beater construction to its best advantage, it isimportant to provide the receptacle I2 with a centrally located,inwardly,

that is, upwardly, extending Lportion 2|, shown in Figures 1 and 5, tocreate a-ilow. of liquid in'a reverse direction throughthe initial syrupor flavoring which is always put inl before the water or milk has beenadded and does not diffuse at once, the said flow in two directionscausing the heavier liquid, such as syrup or ilavoring, to becomequickly distributed'in the lighter liquid, water or milk, by bringing itup into the added lighter liquid:

It has been found advantageous to` form this inwardly extending portion2I integrally with the body of the receptacle I2, and in its preferredoutline it is conoidal in shape; also, this inwardly extending portion2I may be of any predetermined height desired, but in the bestembodiment of the invention is of a height to provide an easily seengauge for the insertion of the right amount of syrup of knownconcentration, as best shown at S in Figure 5. It will be seen from theposition of this portion 2|, that is, its central location, that aconsiderable amount of tilt from its vertical plane may be admittedwithout materially altering the syrup volume to be inserted in respectto the top or gauge point 22. 'I'he receptacle is provided with a dishedcup 23 enclosing the semi-toroidal shaped base portion of the receptacleI2.

'I'he top of the cup will now be described in connection with thecoacting portion of the motor casing, which engages the receptacle andwhich may be a skirt extending downward as indicated at II. Whilecapable of various constructions, as here shown in its preferred form,that portion of the side wall of the receptacle I2, indicated at 24,throughout the length of its longitudinal axis of inter-engagement withskirt II, is so designed to form a substantial ellipse in outline havingaxes of unequal overall dimensions, best shown in Figure 4, said wall 24varying peripherally throughout the inter-engagement length about thecommon axis of inter- 2,1as,49e f l locking. This wall, at its points ofContact with the wall 26 of the skirt II slopes inwardly and .upwardlytoward the said axis, while at other points the slope is outward andupward, as will be clear from Figure 4. That portion of the skirt IIindicated at 26 is soformed as to receive thereceptacle I2 in anunlocked and in.-

` operative positionfto enclose the agitator when not in use, also toreceive andhold the receptacle in an interlocked and operative positionwhen materials are to be mixed. To this end, the external wall 26 isformed as ya substantial ellipse in each transverse plane, theseellipses having axes of unequal overall dimensions, said wallvarying'peripherally about the common axis of interlocking, throughoutthe length of its longitudinal axis of inter-engagement with wall 24. ofreceptacle I2, the slope of this wall being such that it will interlockwith the receptacle. In other words, thevreceptacle wall which isgenerally conical and therefore circular in cross section vat itslowerpart, has two diametrically opposite sides sloped inward so as toform an ellipse at the plane of its upper edge. The wall portion 26 ofthe skirt II is similar to the elliptical portion of the receptacle butreversely formed when considered in the downward direction. The majoraxis of the wall portion 26 of the motor will enter the major axis ofthe receptacle, and on rotation of the latter in either direction tobring its minor axes into coincidence with the major axes of wallportion 26, it will be locked with the motor and cannot be pulleddownward because of the slopes of the engaging walls.

The skirt II is provided with means for holding the receptacle I2 whileavoiding the necessity for rotation of the latter, and thus avoiding thechance of starting the motor. To this end slots 21 are formed in thewall 26 at its minor axis through which springs 28, mounted upon motorstuds 29, extend to engage the inner face of the sloping wall 24 of thereceptacle at its minor axes. It will'be seen from Figures 5 and 8, thatan easily achieved and close relation between the motor and receptaclemay be had when the mixer is not in use, to prevent flies, dust or otherextraneous material from entering the receptacle or soiling theagitator.

In order to start and stop the motor by the further movement of thereceptacle after it is in place on the motor, there is provided a switchin the motor casing, this switch having an operating device whichextends into th'e boundaries of the receptacle-engaging portion of themotor, said switch means for controlling the motor being whollyenclosed, so that the liquids or other materials to be mixed may nothave entry thereto. To this end a recess 30 is formed at one end of themajor axes in the wall 26, this recess extending `inwardly and upwardlyto receive a toggle switch 3l, of a well known type, mounted within themotor base, as by screws 32. Within this recess ,and extending outwardlythrough the wall 26 is a. switch actuating means, or switch operatingdevice 33, normally having its outer edge lying within the path of thesloping walls 24 of the receptacle I2, as shown in Figures 5 and 7, thisswitch actuating means being normally biased to the inoperativeposition, as shown in Figures 5 and 7, by a spring 34, coniined betweenthe inner wall of the recess and a switch arm 35, which in turn rideswithin a formed groove 36 formed upon vthe inner side of button 33.Means are provided for limiting 33` `is provided with' 'flanges 31taking bearing upon the innerwall of the recess, as at 38, 'Figures 5and 7. Y

MTH 39 fo -the admittance of airto the materials while eing mixed, toachieve asmooth and fluffy mixtur While these apertures may be disposedat several places about the skirt,-it has been found vadvantageous toplace them forward of the center of the skirt II and opening laterallyso as to prevent any splashing of walls or mirrors in front of which themixer may be placed.` Also, the skirt II is so formed as to provide ashoulder 40, and a vbead 25 is provided at the top of the receptacle,the shoulder 4IJ`and the bead 25 abutting so as to form a substantiallytight joint when the receptacle is placed upon springs 28 in aninoperative'position and a limiting means for relative longitudinalmovement between the skirt II and the receptacle I2 when interlocked. i

It will be seen from the description that when the receptacle I2 islplaced upon theskirt II with their unequal axes in coincidence, they-arereadily separable, but upon relative rotation in either direction, onewithin the other, to bring their equal axes into coincidence they areinterlocked. Also, upon rotating the receptacle to bring their equalaxesinto coincidence, switch means 33, lying within the path of the minoraxes of the receptacle I2, is depressed inwardly to cause switch arm 35to move beyond its center, thereby closing switch 3|, as shown inFigures1 and 6. With a construction of the type disclosed and described areadily cleanable, sanitary holding and switching means are provided,eliminating objectionable external hooks and knobs common in the art.Also the switch mechanism is kept close to the motor to` avoid lengthyconductive connections.

It has been found advantageous to mount the armature shaft, of which theagitator shaft is a continuation, upon ball bearings, thereby making itpossible to out down the eld windings by reducing the friction over thatencountered where solid bearings are used, and also permitting the useof grease instead of oil, which requires less attention, and practicallyobviates the chance of oil running down the shaft into the receptacle,as sometimes happens when oil is used. At the high speed at which theusual agitator shafts rotate, in Amixers of the general type, there isat times a whine or noise caused by the shaft becoming bent or out ofalignment. Various ways have been suggested toovercome this defect, suchas spring mounting the motor casing to its holding standard or column,but the objection to this and other means is that vibrationv istransmitted throughout the entire motor before being absorbed, Withoutstopping the whine or chatter. In the present construction, as shown,there'is provided within `the casing I0, of which the skirt II is anintegral part, a bored recess 4I, Figure 3, of a diameter sufcient toencompass a shock absorbing means, such as a spring 42 having aplurality of partly cut raised bent portions 43, these raised portions43 taking bearing upon the outer race of a radial thrust bearing 44,having balls 44a, thereby providing central alignment of the bearing andabsorption means for any shock that may be imparted to the agitatorvfrom the accidental striking of the agitator, as-in the putting on ortaking off of the receptacle. It will be easily skirt-His also providedwith apertures seen that by this construction an inexpensive andefficient means is provided-to absorb and dissipate shock, withouttransmitting the 'shock throughout the entire motor structure, becausethere is provided a slight lateral play Iinl all directions radially. fl

The motor device is suitably'mounted so as to provide room beneath itand its agitator for the ready insertion and removal of the receptacleI2. In thedrawings, two ways ofholding the motor in its elevatedposition are shown. In Figure 1, the motor casing is secured to apedestal 45, which may be done in any desired manner. As shown, thepedestal has its upper end extended laterally. and interposed betweenthis fectly smooth surface for cleanliness and sanitation'. i l v InFigure 5, the motor casing is provided with a laterally extending arm 48having horizontal flanges 49 partly encircling the motor casing andsecured thereto by studs 50, said laterally extending arm48 merging intoa vertical flange `5I shown as secured to a wall or post, as by screws52, said arm 48 having a centrally cored aperture through which anelectric conductor may readily be passed to the motor. It will beobvious from Figure 5 that, no counter or shelf being necessary to restthe mixer upon, an economy of space may be practiced where space is at apremium.

In Figure 5 there is" shown a special form of an agitator of the jettype, constituting an important feature of the invention in itsbestembodiment, the agitatorbeing indicatedat 53, the agitator shaft I3ahaving a helical groove 54 cut upon its periphery, the total height ofthis helical groove remaining well within the materials to be' mixed.Upon and surrounding this helical groove is a sleeve 55 formed at itsupper end with a volute portion 56 shown in section in'lig.v 12, thelower end of the sleeve being drawn in to form a nozzle 51 to direct ajet upon the diverging portion 2I of the receptacle I2, said sleevebeing held to the shaft I3a to maintain a fixed relation between theupper end of the helical groove andan intake orifice 58 of the volute;The holding means may be a detent 59 formed in the side wall of thesleeve 55 taking bearing upon and within a horizontal groove Ell out inthe lower portion of the agitator shaft. In this construction it will beseenthat when the receptacle containing the liquids to be mixed isplaced about the agitator and turned into operating position, the volutelies well within the liquid with its intake aperture leading in thedirection of rotation."Liquid being picked up by this aperturel isforced into and downward along the helical groove 54, through nozzle 51,upon the inwardly extending conoidal shaped portion 2| of the receptacleI2, said helical groove being-cut left-handed when the agitator shaftrotates in a counter-clockwise rotation when viewed from the bottom, orin the reverse It will be noted that. the means of connection of thereceptacle tothe motor is an important feature ofV the invention becauseby said means it is possibleto avoid studs, pins, slots, or otherconstructions which interfere with the easy cleaning of the surfaces ofthel receptacle inside and out, or of the motor casing., It will be seenthat in the construction shown the. receptacle has a substantiallycircular cross-section 'at a transverse plane below the upper edge ofthe recep' tacle, and has an elliptical cross-section in a transversepiane above the circular cross-section.,

In this example, the minor axis of the said ellipse v is less than thediameter of the said circular cross-section and the major axis isgreater than said diameter. The wall of the receptacle slopes from thesaid circular cross-section to said elliptical cross-section. `The motorhas a receptacleengaging surface whose conformation is similar to ,theconformation of the receptacle, as above specified, but the ellipticalcross-section of the motor is down, and the circular cross-section aboveit. Also the major axis of the elliptical cross-section of the motor isabout equal to the minor axis of the receptacle, and most advan- 5tageously slightly larger so that the receptacle will spring outwardslightly and thus the frictional hold will be increased.

In putting the-receptacle into place, the major axes of the motor and ofthe receptacle may be aligned, which gives plenty of clearance betweenthe receptacle wall and the receptacle-engaging surface of the motor.

Thereafter, if it is desired to start the motor, it is only necessary torotate'the receptacle about its vertical axis, and in the presentexample, this can be done-in either direction. This interlocks thesloping surfaces of the receptacle and motor, so that the receptacle islsecure against direct downward movement. Also the `switch-operatingmember is pushed in, thus closing the electric circuit and starting themotor.

A further feature of the invention is the elastic mounting of the motorshaft with its agitator,v

, switch mechanism having an operating member located within theboundaries of the receptaclecngaging portion to be engaged anddisengaged by the receptacle, said motor carrying a depending agitatorarranged to be operated by the motor, of a receptacle having its upperend arranged to be rotated into locking engagement with and held by thereceptacle-engaging portion and having a receptacle-engaging portion atitsA lower endand a motor controlling switch mechlanism having anoperating member located within the boundaries of thereceptacle-engaging portion to be engaged and disengaged by thereceptacle, said motor carrying a depending agltator arranged to beoperated by the motor, of a .receptacle having its upper end arranged tobe rotated into locking engagement with and held by the'receptacleengaging portion of the motor, and after the first part vof the rotationto encounter and operate the .operating member of said switch mechanism,said receptacle enclosing said depending agitator.

3. In a drink-mixer, the combination with an electric motor having areceptacle-engaging portion at its lower end, and a toggle-switch mech-yanism for controlling the motor, having an operating member locatedwithin the boundaries of the receptacle-engaging portion of the motorand yieldingly held outward beyond the outer surface of the saidreceptacle-'engaging portion, saidy motor carrying aA depending agitatorarranged to be operated by the motor, of a receptacle having its upperend larranged to be rotated into locking engagement with thereceptacle-engaging portion of the motor and after the rst part of therotation to encounter and depress the operating member of the switchmechanism to start the motor, said receptacle enclosing the dependingagitator.

4. In a drink-mixer, a receptacle having a substantially circularcross-section at a transverse plane below the upper edge of thereceptacle and having an ellipticalcross-section at a transverse planeabove that where the cross-section was.

circular, the minor axis of the ellipse being less than the diameter ofsaid circle and the major axis of said ellipse being greater than saiddiaming a' receptacle-engaging outer surface whosek conformation issimilar to the conformation of '50 the receptacle as above specified buthaving the major axis of its elliptical cross-section substantiallyequal to the said minor axis of the receptacle, whereby the receptaclecan be slid upward onto the receptacle-engaging surface of the motor,when` the said major axes of the receptacle and motor are in substantialalignment, and then, by rotation of the receptacle about its verticalaxis, the receptacle will be held to the motor so as to be secureagainst downward movement, while providing a sanitary surface for l thereceptacle inside and out.

5. In a drink-mixer, the combination, with an electric motor having areceptacle-engaging holding member and a cooperating receptacle member,said members having interlocking sloping peripheral surfaces, one beingan internal surface, the other being an. external surface, said membersbeing relatively rotatable in either direction about a common axis toeffect interlocking thereof, the slopes of said surfaces, relative tothe common axis, varying at the different portions of the respectiveperipheres.

6. In a drink-mixer, the combination, with an electric motor having areceptacle-engaging'holding member and a cooperating receptacle heldmember, said members having interlocking sloping peripheral surfaces,one being an internal surface, the other being an external surface,ysaid members being relatively rotatable in either direction about acommon axis to effect interlocking thereof, the slopes of said surfaces,relative to the common axis, varying at the different portions of theirrespective peripheries, and there being for any slope measured at anypoint on either surface at least one other equal slope measured atanother point on that surface.

7. In a drink-mixer, the combination, with an electric motor having areceptacle-engaging holding member and a cooperating receptacle heldmember, said members having interlocking sloping peripheral surfaces,one being an internal surface, the other being an external surface, saidmembers being relatively rotatable in either direction about a commonaxis to effect interlocking thereof, the slopes of said surfaces,relative to the common axis, varying at the diierent portions of theirrespective perlpheries, and said surfaces having line contact at aplurality of points when said members are interlocked. n

8. In a drink-mixer, the combination, with an electric motor having areceptacle-engaging holding member and a. cooperating receptacle heldmember, said members having interlocking sloping peripheral surfaces,one being an internal surface, the other being an external surface, saidmembers being relatively rotatable in either direction about a commonaxis to effect interlocking thereof, the slopes of said surfaces,relative to the common axis, varying at the different portions of theirrespective peripheries, and said surfaces having line contact at aplurality of equally spaced points when said members are interlocked,each line of contact being in some plane containing said axis andsloping toward said axis in the direction opposite that in whichrelative movement of said members is prevented by their interlocking.

9. In a drink-mixer, an electric motor, and an agitator having a helicalpassage open at its upper andv lower ends, in combination with areceptacle for liquid, arranged to receive the agitator and to be heldin fixed relation toL the motor, said receptacle being arranged tocontain the entire helical passage portion of the agitator andcapacitated to hold a mixture containing liquid at a normal levelsubmerging both the openings of said helical passage.

10. In a drink-mixer, the combination, with an electric motor, means forsupporting the same in an elevated position, and an annular flangeimmovably secured to the motor and extending downward to enclose thelower end of the motor, of an agitator depending from the motor andarranged to be operated by it, yieldable receptacleholding means carriedby the annular flange, and a receptacle arranged to receive the agitatorand to slide over the annular flange and engage the yieldingreceptacle-holding means; whereby all parts of the agitator and thelower end of the motor are enclosed.

11. In a drink-mixer, the combination, with an electric motor, means forsupporting the same in an elevated position, and an annular flange im-

